WEC 52 Bonuses: Four Fighters Bank $10,000

Erik Koch (left) file photo: Sherdog.com

Cub Swanson and Mackens Semerzier went toe-to-toe for three memorable rounds, and World Extreme Cagefighting officials rewarded them for their efforts.

Swanson and Semerzier pocketed matching $10,000 “Fight of the Night” bonuses after their preliminary lightweight match ended in a split decision at WEC 52 “Faber vs. Mizugaki” on Thursday at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. All three judges scored it 29-28, two of them siding with Swanson.

Semerzier, who burst on the scene in 2009 with his submission victory over former International Fight League champion Wagnney Fabiano, has now suffered three consecutive defeats. A Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts representative, Swanson threw a late burst at his foe in the third round, as he unleashed his hands and closed out the match with a slew of power punches in the final seconds.

Meanwhile, former WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber banked a $10,000 “Submission of the Night” bonus after he rendered Japanese ace Takeya Mizugaki unconscious with a first-round rear-naked choke in his ballyhooed debut at 135 pounds. Mizugaki had never before been submitted.

Finally, rising featherweight contender Erik Koch earned a $10,000 “Knockout of the Night” bonus in wake of his quick first-round stoppage against promotional newcomer Francisco Rivera. Their encounter lasted just 96 seconds, as Koch leveled Rivera with a left head kick and polished off the previously unbeaten Californian with punches and hammerfists on the ground.